Monday, December 28, 2009

Saturday, December 26, 2009

So I guess I'm going to be a blog poser and post a bunch of stuff of what I thought of 2009. I'm not doing it in one go because 1. who the fuck wants to read that much of my rambling in one go? and 2. I'm too lazy to do it all right now and it's 2am anyways.

First Part!

Graph of how this year went for me personally. Some of 2009 kicked my ass, some of it ruled harder than any year has before. I did some things I wanted to for a long time, I did some things I wish I never had. Who cares? Life gets better when you realize you don't have to let it beat you down all the time. Red line is kind of neutral. Above is feeling good, below is being bummed. Easy shit, right?

Wow, I thought that the picture would turn out bigger. Whatever, you get the just of it right?

Lego used to have this series that focused on ninjas as the subject matter. It was like the grey, "good" ninjas against the red or black "bad" ninjas, I don't know I can't really remember. But anyways! That year my parents got me the big set for Christmas. You know in a Lego series there's always like the little tiny sets that are about $5, then the kind of bigger ones that are $20, then a sort of big one and the big giant crown jewel of the collection. So yea that year they got the big one for me. You cannot imagine how stoked I was. When I was little I fucking LOVED Lego. Usually the first thing I did every Saturday morning was pull all my shit out so I could make some rad robot or space ship while I watched cartoons. I seriously played with it almost all day.

Anyways you cannot imagine how pumped to assemble this thing. I put on my fresh Northern Getaway threads, received that morning, turned on the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" special (you know, the stop motions that rules so hard) and began to build this motherfucker. I remember that it took me the entire special to build, finishing it just as the credits rolled. I'm pretty close to the cousins on one side of my family and they always come over or vice-versa on Christmas day. Needless to say I was so stoked to show them my masterpiece.

So I'm in my room putting this monster on my shelf, it being the new mantlepiece of my bedroom. Then just as I'm about to place it up there, it falls out of my hands. As soon as it hit the floor it just shattered to a million pieces. I was so devastated. I was just the most bitter kid for the rest of the day. I didn't try to re-build it. Even if I had collected all the pieces it wouldn't have been the same.

Looking back now, I think it is one of the funniest things ever. This little 7 year-old spends the better part of his day building this thing and then clumsily drops it as soon as it's done. So tragic!

Telling this made me pretty posi, wow. Nostalgia doesn't have to be bitter!

Sidenote: Weezer did absolutely no wrong in the 90's. Do yourself a favour and put on Blue, Pinkerton, "Jamie" and "Suzanne"

I've always been a big fan of Christmas. I mean most people love it when they're a kid, assuming they life in a family with the means, but that's pretty much entirely based on the fact that you're getting new toys. I guess for some people that type of appreciation continues for the rest of their lives. But you know who those kids are and they suck. But obviously for most of us it begins to take on a new significance as you grow up.

I mean I do still enjoy getting gifts, seriously who doesn't? But Christmas has gone beyond unwrapping the big castle from the Ninja Lego (not to say I wouldn't still enjoy getting that. Lego rules. Seriously.) (also I have a kind of funny story about that Lego set I'll tell later). I guess I can be pretty shy around some people (and by shy I mean try to behave myself and not be the jackass I am around my friends), which results in people usually getting me pretty shitty gifts. I'm not trying to be cynical, really! It just something that happens and honestly it really doesn't bother me that much at all because there's other stuff I look forward to on Christmas break.

Since I'm away at school now, opportunities to see all my friends growing up are few and far between. Since everyone is off at the same time for Christmas break, everyone gets to hang out. I really do love my friends a lot and this is usually the first time that everyone is together since the summer.

Also around this time most people seem pretty happy. Obviously the "holiday cheer" doesn't apply to everyone, but in late December there seems to be a little it of a spring in most people's steps. When you're bummed out being around other bummed people doesn't really help. A lot people knock Christmas because there's so much consumerism and all that crap, but if it's making people happy is it really that bad? Plus people that get ulcers trying to find the perfect gift or punch other parents trying to get the last Tickle-Me-Elmo are probably pretty shitty examples of human beings already.

Most people think of the morning opening presents and the tree when they think of Christmas. I think of getting a few things that I'll put to good use and hanging out doing stupid shit in my basement with the best guys on earth because it's too cold to go outside.

Friday, December 11, 2009

I used to stay up to watch "The Punk Show" on MuchMusic whenever I could. Back when George Stromboulopolis used to host it had pretty good content and would usually play some smaller Canadian bands. But anyways, one night a particular video came on, "No Face" by The Suicide Machines.

I had already heard of the band; I loved "New Girl" as it was on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtrack and had gotten "Your Silence" off of a Warped tour compilation. So I sort of liked the band but had never really gotten the effort to check them out.

The video started with a shot of the guitar player crowd surfing and playing the lead riff. I thought it was the coolest thing I had seen in my life up to that point. Immediately I was in a whole other world watching the clip.

Then the bass line kicked in. I had never heard a bass player carry a song so much. It was the main part of the song. It completely changed my outlook on how to play my instrument and is still the most influential moment in my playing.

I was amazed by the song. It definitely had a punk attitude. But it was so poppy, so fun and had you singing along right away. And it was fast.

Needless to say, I was hooked. I was them live a little later and became even more enticed. Then I bought "Destruction by Definition" and the rest is history.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

You should start listening to this band. They play super fast and have super growly vocals. What's not to like? Plus in their song titles I saw a Billy Madison reference and a Ninja Turtles II reference.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

I just realized that on a few posts I got some comments from some people who I don't know in any way. This is awesome. I'm pretty surprised anyone who isn't a close friend of mine reads this, but I also think it's pretty rad.

What I want to say is this: If you are reading this and have an opinion on something I write please feel free to write something. If you disagree, I love to argue. If you agree, let's talk about how much we rule. If you're indifferent, let's talk about the impact of Stephen and Karl on the fourth Descendents record.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

You have found this post because you followed a link on the side of my blog. I buried this post way back in 2009, even though I am writing it in 2017, so that it wouldn't come up when you land on IMU here.

It is wild that this has been going since 2009. Almost 10 years! The abbreviation IMU was bus twinkle in my eye back then.

I made this post as way to clearly give ways that can get a copy of my zine I, Musical Genius: On Baseball if you would like one.

First off, they run $5+$2 shipping. If you are hard up for funds, I am more than happy to cut you a deal on this. Cheap prices are PUNK.

If you live in Toronto, I'd be more than happy to meet you in person and save you that $2! Most people who are interested in reading it are probably from Southern Ontario anyways.

But if you need it shipped, get in touch with me, either through comments on this post or email me at "tbone" underscore "yo" at "hotmail" dot "com" and we can work out the details!

I guess I could have made a webstore for this, but it felt kind of silly to do that for one zine and I thought that working out orders the old fashioned way on an out-dated blogging platform is more in line with the whole IMU aesthetic anyways.

Monday, December 7, 2009

More than anything else, The Upsides is a record about fighting back. I felt like the past year left me and all of my friends defeated. Our early-twenties had beaten us down. We listened to sad songs and we watched sad movies and we talked about sad shit. It was like everyone looked at the rest of their lives and decided that now was the time to start being miserable. A lot of the lyrics for this record were written on my bike while I avoided traffic and bad parts of the city. Before we actually started writing songs, I had compiled a notebook full of the lines that I pulled from the fog my breath produced on all of my freezing, snowy morning bike rides. I had given up, and this was going to be a record about just that, and then, one day, I was riding my bike down 19th Street on the way to work and from the top of Callowhill, I could see that the fountain at Logan Circle had been turned on. Something clicked in my head and I guess it was because this meant it was Spring, or maybe it was just because it reminded me of happier times, but I decided then that it wasn't okay to be this defeated at twenty-three. A few months later the band moved into the house I was living in South Philly with my girlfriend and roommate. They slept on the floor of our living room and every day we would wake up and walk down into the 15-square foot basement to write songs. We spent a very long, very hot month between May and June surviving on freezie-pops and Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee alone. Everyone, literally and figuratively poured themselves into this record as we must have lost a collective ten pounds from sweat alone. My basement still smells terrible to this day. There were a few times when we walked upstairs after an argument and I didn't think we'd ever come back down because every song was that important to every one of us. The result is a record that we're all very proud of and that I think carries a very real message. The whole world wants you to be miserable. It wants you to put your head down, sigh to yourself and give up on being happy, and I know just as well as anyone that sometimes, giving up seems like the only option, but if you take one thing from this record, I hope it's this: Don't give those mother-fuckers an inch. Stand your ground every chance you get because everybody deserves a chance to be happy.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Ever since I’ve gotten older and matured (term used very loosely), I’ve found that it has become increasingly easy for me to become depressed. Once you get it in your head that you feel shitty, it is the only thing you can think about. When that happens, it overwhelms you. The more you think about how bad you feel, the more it takes hold of you and you feel worse.

I listen to a lot of hardcore bands that preach a positive mental attitude (PMA). Whenever I was in a good mood it was definitely something I followed. Keeping a cool head and always feeling good. But I really had it all wrong looking back at it now. I confused feeling good with having a positive attitude. It is damn impossible to feel good all of the time. Shitty stuff happens to everybody and everyone feels like crap sometimes.

This time though, I made a change.

For the month of November, I felt pretty crappy. Through personal life, professional (school stuff), etc. I felt like I was really falling short. The climb back kind of started because of one event. I was talking to the lead singer of Daggermouth on MySpace (they had to go on hiatus so he could be treated for depresson). The advice he gave me was “...find something you love and just do it. Fuck the outside pressure” and that was something that I really needed to hear. It’s hard to just start thinking one way after being used to another for so long, but I tried to incorporate.

Something that has a bit of significance later on; I watched Good Will Hunting for the first time in this period.

The Wonder Years were a band that I sort of liked but not a whole lot. Every now and then I throw on their jams but for some reason thought their older stuff was juvenile. November was when the build up to their new album, The Upsides, was starting. I follow the singer on twitter so I would be getting updates on the tour throughout the month. Each time he used twitter he would tag his messages with either theupsides or imnotsadanymore. Their older music wasn’t exactly negative, but some of their songs had lyrics and a vibe that said “there’s a lot of stuff wrong in my life”. Now it was like the band was saying “we need to be happy”. This really got to me.

I started doing one thing that really helped; focusing on the little things. You can’t only think about the big issues in your life. As absolutely terrible as this sounds, the bigger things never work exactly as you planned. They are always changing, because of all the things that happen to you every day. Take pleasure in the things that you enjoy about your day. Notice the small stuff that goes right, it makes your day ten times better. When you’re in a mood like that it lets you think clearly, it helps you a lot.

I was already poised to be in a better mood, when I remembered something. I was in the shower and I recalled a scene from Good Will Hunting. It was the one when Robin Williams confronts Matt Damon and keeps saying “It’s not your fault” until Damon breaks down. I started thinking to myself “It’s not your fault” about all the different situations in my life. It’s one thing to take responsibility for your actions, but you cannot blame yourself for all of your problems.

It’s not your fault.

That night I went to a show. I went mainly to see the band Sights and Sounds, but the headliner was Moneen, who I’ve never listened to. This is an important point; I’ve never listened to them. All in all, I thought that I would be poised to be in a really bad spot emotionally at this show. But what happened was the complete opposite. I was around the right people and the right music. Moneen put on an incredible show, definitely one of the best ones I’ve ever seen. The performance was an overwhelming catharsis of positive energy. The band and the crowd were completely in sync and you can tell that it meant a lot to all of the kids there to see them. I thought it was pretty rad that a band who I didn’t even listen to could do that for you. But it definitely did.

It was through the later part of that day and the show that I really began to understand what was meant by a positive mental attitude. It’s not being happy every second of every day, that is impossible. It’s understanding that you can overcome the things that make you bummed out. You need to keep your head, because if you don’t then it will only get worse. Shitty things happen, but you can control how you take it.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

It might be odd, considering the fact that I'm Canadian, but I fucking hate winter/snow. Mostly because it is not conducive to the following things that I enjoy doing a lot:

skateboarding

wearing tanktops/basketball jerseys

wearing shorts

wearing vans with no socks

wearing flipped up hats

Also, at shows you have to coat check. The cold sucks, it's uncomfortable and I shiver like a motherfucker.

I'm taking some time for myself, I think I really need it right now and it would be the best thing for me. Fuck all the outside influences and pressure, take pleasure in the little things and do some stuff that you enjoy.

Stop listening to what ever you have on and put on Rehasher, Shook Ones or Crime in Stereo instead.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

This is my favourite song right now. I fall asleep to it every night. It's pretty ridiculous how sad it is. Josh Caterer is a really awesome lyricist and has a vocal style that clearly influenced Bayside so much. I like this version of the song a lot, Bayside lead guitarist is a shredder and adds a bunch to a song that is normally just power chords. The lyrics are soooooooooooo good.

Monday, November 9, 2009

I actually have to be the most emotionally up and down person in the world. One day I can be so infatuated with someone that I think about them all day and only listen to corny love songs. The very next day I'll be so convinced that they hate me that I don't feel like doing anything. In the first scenario I feel like I'm on top of the world. There's a spring in my step and I make dumb jokes all day long. In the second scenario I feel like the entire weight of the world is on my shoulders. I mope around and make self-depreciating jokes.

But when I feel like shit there are some things that always cheer me up no matter what. These are a few:

Sunday, November 8, 2009

I think I've constructed the ultimate playlist for being bummed out. I made it last year when I was pretty depressed, but I listened to it a few days ago and each song still gets me. Without further ado: "fuck my life" the playlist.

Bayside- Don't Call Me Peanut (live in Chicago)

Bayside- The Ghost of St. Valentine

ALL- Long Distance

ALL-Shreen

Descendents- I'm The One

Edna's Goldfish- Eventually, Anyway

Hifi Handgrenades- Detroit Has a Skyline

High School Football Heroes- A Long Look at a Short Lived Dream

Ill Scarlett- NTF (acoustic)

Tony Sly- On The Outside

No Use For a Name- International You Day

The Police- So Lonely

Pulley- The Ocean Song

Reel Big Fish- Suckers

Simple Plan- I'd Do Anything (yea go on, hate me for it)

The Swellers- Keep Looking Where Your Eyes Are Looking Now

The Swellers- Skoots

We Are The Union- This Is My Life (And It's Ending One Minute At A Time)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

The emotional and expressive power of music is something that never ceases to amaze me. You can be feeling shitty about school, not being to finish anything, etc. You think that generally things could be going better. But then walking home one of your favourite bands comes on shuffle. And as soon as you hear Stephen's poppy guitar riff and Milo sing out "everything is gonna be ok, we've got it made together" and suddenly your problems don't seem so overbearing and your able to put everything in perspective.

Thank science for music, don't know where the fuck I would be without it.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Who would win in a fight? Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Mankind or a raptor?

I can't decide which of these songs is my favourite right now because they are all so damn good:

The Replacements- Can't Hardly Wait (demo)

The song's about a kid thinking to himself while he drives to the water tower in his small town to commit suicide. The lyrics are really good and the instrumentation is better than the other version they recorded

Grave Maker- Time Heals Nothing

This song is about being cheezed and feeling shitty. Grave Maker is one of the best hardcore bands around today and their last album was really solid front to back. I listened to them before bed the other day and got so stoked that it took me awhile to fall asleep because all I wanted to do was stage dive.

Bomb The Music Industry!- King of Minneapolis Parts III & IV

This song is about being so depressed that you try to drink yourself to death. During the night you meet a stranger that is really nice to you even though you don't know them. You also have a conversation with one of your friends and that cheers you up. You wake up in the morning without a hangover, even though you drank more than Theo Fleury last night. Then you decide that life's ok and you don't need to worry that much. Jeff's lyrics are obviously autobiographical and he got a tattoo of that stranger's face.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Coming home from school I always have a (sort of) long bus ride. I didn't realize how much I appreciate them until today. Usually I take a sweet power nap. More importantly it gives me time to listen to music. Not throw on something in the background, or listen to half-asleep on the way to school, but really have a good listen to an album. I always listen to albums all the way through that I sometimes neglect. It's nice.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Originally the list was going to be “50 Albums That Changed My Life” but I decided to give this one a sentimental spot at 51. Yes this album is incredibly generic, sometimes the lyrics are pretty embarrassing and the only reason this band got so big was that they were essentially a Canadian version of blink-182. This does not mean that the album is bad. It is super catchy. It’s a perfect example of pop-punk circa 2001, which was the type of music that got me into to music in the first place. Plus “Pain for Pleasure” makes me happy because I’ve always had a soft spot for hair metal. The main reason this album is on here is that it is the first CD I went out and bought by myself. Through this CD I discovered a plethora of other music by reading the thank you list (one of the reasons I love buying CDs still). Without this CD who knows how I would have ended up.

50. Iron Maiden- Somewhere Back In Time

Like I just mentioned, I have a soft spot for 80’s metal/hair metal/glam metal whatever you want to call it. Usually this consists of putting on Poison at a party because it’s funny while you’re drunk. But I legitimately really like Iron Maiden a lot. I mean yea, sometimes their lyrics can be a little lame/stereotypical of progressive bands, BUT DUDE, they pretty much created that stereotype! Main reason for liking Maiden: they fucking shred. Every member in the band just kills their instrument. Steve Harris is one of my favourite bass players and definitely one of the all time greats. This is a “Greatest Hits” collection and I’ll admit that I’m not a big enough fan to throw a regular album up on here. But it doesn’t change the fact that I love every song on this CD.

49. Streetlight Manifesto- Somewhere In The Between

I was absolutely huge on Streetlight when I was 15 or 16. Then after a while I just listen to them because I had played out “Everything Goes Numb” so much. I kind of wrote them off because I couldn’t really listen to that album anymore. Then this thing came out about four years later. All I really needed was some new songs by the band. Granted they don’t really break any new ground on this album every song sounds like a “Streetlight song” but that don’t means it’s bad. The new addition of Pete McCullough on bass was incredible, his bass-lines are often the focal point of the songs whether people realize it or not. As always Tomas Kalnoky has a lyrical orgasm all over this album. It’s another chapter the storyline of very good albums that kind of blur the line between ska, punk, classical and countless other types of music.

48. H2O- Nothing To Prove

For some reason I always confused H2O with Madball. I guess it might have been because they’re really tight and both out of the same scene. But anyways I had no idea that H2O had such a melodic sound until I heard “1995” while they were hyping this album before it came out. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. It took me awhile to come around to Toby Morse’s style of delivery but you once you “get” what the band is going for (may sound juvenile for an NYHC band, but give me a break) they’re a whole lot of fun. Some people would look at the lyrics as simple or crude but I would call them honest, dude is just saying what’s on his mind, in the best way he can. I find that unless you’re in the right mood, H2O’s other albums can drag on. Not this one. Ten tracks. All of them rip.

47. The Police- Greatest Hits

I think it was the rumours that The Police were getting back together that made me get around to checking more of their stuff out. Once you realize that there is more to the band than “Roxanne” and “Message in a Bottle” they’re pretty cool. The coolest thing about the band for me is how they brought reggae into the mainstream, where it hadn’t really been outside of Jamaica and The UK before. Granted it was a British-affluent-Caucasian version of reggae, but hey, who’s complaining. Stuart Copeland is a great drummer, Andy Summers does neat things with the guitar and Sting sings over some filthy bass-lines. Plus they have some good songs about girls, which I’m always a sucker for.

46. Goldfinger- Hang Ups

There is only one reason that I own this album. That reason is that “Superman” is a track on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. It was in grade 5 and I was incredibly impressionable. I kind of wrote the album off and pretty much only listened to the first track. In high-school I got heavy into ska music, so after hearing this album again it sounded a lot better than it did in grade 5. The album got another life when I really looked into it further and noticed how good the lyrics are. Relationship songs always seem cliché when you’re younger, but then some stuff happens to you and then those songs become your favourite. John Feldman is a good pop songwriter, but in an older tradition. He owes more to pop song writers of the 60’s than anyone else. The albums got some fast songs, some mid tempo pop songs and some ska songs. Sometimes all mixed into one. Goldfinger also has this way of everyone’s voices in the band harmonizing together for background vocals that I love and don’t really see any bands use. They don’t use it so much anymore, but it’s all over this record. Always a fun listen and one of the best summer albums.

45. Daggermouth- Stallone

I first heard of Daggermouth when I was going to see them open for Set Your Goals. I first passed them off as an SYG rip-off but that was only after a half-assed listen and seeing them live. But their live performance definitely impressed me. Plus they covered a Descendents song and you don’t really have to do much more than that to get me in your good books. But anyways, I got some free mp3s off the internet and really enjoyed them but forgot about them. At a Living with Lions show they played this album as the house music and I loved it. I eventually picked up my own copy and adored it. This is a pop-punk/hardcore band in the truest sense of the word. They could easily tour with New Found Glory but at the same time be perfectly in place at a show with Bane. Their vocalist Nick Leadly has his hardcore shout down pact but at the same time can carry a tune for a big chorus. One of my favourite parts of this record is guitarist Stu McKillop’s playing. He definitely goes beyond the usual pop-punk guitar licks to add catchy riffs that stay in your head as much and the lyrics do. I also relate to the lyrics heavily. The band eventually went on hiatus because Leadly has to be checked into a hospital for major depressive disorder. Obviously his struggles with it come out in the lyrics and I was having a bit of a rough time when I bought this record, so it grabbed me. This band really needs to get back together. Oh and “Sing It Again Rookie Biatch” has the best breakdown that this genre of music has ever seen. Best way to end the record.

44. The Flatliners- The Great Awake

The Flatliners have been a very important part of my life. The Toronto ska scene during high-school was who I was and The Flatliners were really the band at the center of that. It was at show where they were the second band on that I really realized they were something special. The first band had really sucked, but The Flats came out and really put on a great set. I realized that I had never seen them put on a bad set in all the times I had seen them. They gradually grew and grew, culminating in a signing with Fat Wreck Chords. I anticipated this album probably more than any other that I can remember. At first I was put off because it marked such a departure in their sound, ditching the Suicide Machines that had marked their first album and adopting a sound that fit in well with the second generation of bands on Fat now. But the album really grew on me. The song writing is hands down much better on this album. I eventually started to discover more “real” pop-punk bands that I had heard a lot of talk about but never really come around to.These bands are definitely the type of bands that influenced the writing of this record, so it was a part of that. I’ll never be able to hate on The Flats. For one they put out nothing but great music and they’ve been as big a part of my life as anything else. I’ve seen them 23 times and counting and they’re still great.

43. Bayside- Bayside

For some reason I always confused this band with the band Blindside, who really suck. But I saw that Bayside were going to be opening for New Found Glory at the date I was attending so I checked them out. I was pleasantly surprised at the sort of macabre pop-punk that I found. “Shudder” became an album that I really enjoyed. At the time, I was really bummed out and in a bad place, so the depressing nature of their lyrics really hit home and grabbed me. Eventually that situation got a lot worse and I got their self-titled CD because of the track “Don’t Call Me Peanut” that I had heard off it. The lyrics on this album were even more depressing and it really stuck with me. Some of the songs might come off as over the top to a new listener, but sometimes that is the only type of thing you can listen to because it really sums up how you feel. While their newer work is a lot closer to the tradition of Chicago emotional pop-punk their older had a different style to it that, I guess, could be described as closer to the more mainstream “emo” that got popular a few years ago. But seriously, this band is just so much better than all those bands that got big. Anthony Ranieri is an absolute dynamite song writer and all the lyrics on this record are just winners. Guitarist Jack O’Shea just rips. Most of the songs on this album have absolutely killer guitar solos on them and he throws a lot of stuff into the verses as well. In short, good lyrics+face melters=awesome.

42. Blink 182- The Mark, Tom and Travis Show.

Yes, this live album is probably over-dubbed in a lot of places. But between Blink’s banter (which is definitely my type of humour) and the finest cuts off my two favourite Blink records (minus Peggy Sue and Carousel from Cheshire Cat) who’s complaining? I always feel that Mark’s song writing gets lost in the grandeur of Blink- 182. Dude is seriously really good at writing songs about girls and has definitely written some of my favourite love songs. It kind of represents the high-point of Mark-Tom chemistry and has a very high nostalgia factor for me. Blink was one of the first bands I got into and this record lets me celebrate the good part of their catalogue (not hating on TOYPAJ though) and laugh my ass off at the same time.

41. Andrew W.K.- I Get Wet

Much more than just a “party album”. It puts you into a good mood every time you listen to it, no matter how bummed out you are. Even when I was super down in the dumps last year (seems to be a trend), every time I heard the guitar riff at the beginning of “It’s Time To Party” I had to smile. This record is just a tour de force of positive energy. It definitely has a unique sound. The guitars, bass and guitar are for sure heavy and a metal influence is there, but at the time the major chords give a poppy sound. Andrew definitely yells and screams more than he sings and somewhere in all of this is a lot of 50’s rock and roll style piano playing. It really works though. Like really well. It’s like a self help album in some weird big loud piano heavy rock sort of way. Come on, you just can’t hate this music.

40. Jimmy Eat World- Bleed American

I’ll say without embarrassment that “The Middle” was the song that got me into music. Before that it was whatever was on, I don’t really care. But when I heard “The Middle” it inspired me to start liking bands and I realized that music was a powerful thing and something that I really enjoyed. The other singles didn’t hit me the way that “The Middle” did and they definitely are different in style, so I kind of forgot about them. Then as my musical tastes expanded and I heard people talk about Jimmy Eat World as an important force in 90’s emo I bought “Bleed American”. It took a little while for the album to hit me in the right way, but man it’s awesome. Again, there are pretty good songs about girls on it and I still think the guitar solo on “The Middle” is the best one I’ve ever heard. Who knows what I’d be like if that song hadn’t directed me to music.

This idea started one day when I was bored and home from university. I first thought that making a list of my 50 favourite albums would be a good and semi-productive way to pass the time. I find that placing things into lists is a reoccurring thing that I do. Music is a very important thing to me and seems to be most of what I talk about. Then the list would have short descriptions of why I liked them, a sentence or two. Once I got started I discovered that narrowing down 50 albums and organizing them in order was a lot harder than I had planned. So I figured, if I'm going to spend this much time organizing the list, I can put in that extra effort and make semi in-depth thoughts about them.

I started it at the beginning of the summer and only finished the first part of it now. To be fair though, my job during the summer takes up a lot of my time. I'll put up the other parts as soon as I finish writing them. So here you go: my thoughts on why the music that I like is good.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Well in classic me style, I went to the mall the other day with no intention of buying anything and ended up spending more than $100.

One of those purchases was Career Suicide by A Wilhelm Scream which I have been meaning to pick up for goddamn ever. It doesn't disappointment me in the slightest, but I knew it wouldn't. First thing is that from a bass playing point of view, it's the best album that's come out it so long. Bri Robinson is so good that the record makes me want to just sit down and practice in my room all week. The guitars shred just as hard and every song is fast as fuck. For now at least, once I'm done listening to it, I have to put it on again because there's just nothing else I feel like listening to more right now.

One of the other things I bought was The Dark Knight Returns. It's pretty sweet. It's by Frank Miller and it's the story of Batman coming back as a 50-60 year old and still trying to do his thing.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

I had a dream Sunday night that Mark Hoppus gave me a high-five for wearing a descendents shirt. Then he said he liked my vans and dedicated "Online Songs" to me. Pretty rad dream.

Anyways, update? Yea update on my boring-ass life.

The biggest thing is that it's almost time to head back to the University of Guelph. I could not be more happy about this. Our new crib is incredible and seeing all the people from school again will be great. Plus there's O-Week before classes. And classes are a joke for the first month. Which means that it will be party time all the time. Seriously though, I should buckle down this year and actually do some work. I really feel like I've been coasting through my program so far, mostly because I have. I know I can do a lot better than I have and I am going to.

Coming home from school I was really looking for a fresh start and leaving all my problems behind me. I am positive that I've done that. I like to generally think of myself as a positive person. I'm back to being that way. At least I'm pretty sure I am.

Being a lifeguard at Ontario Place is fun while you re-connect with work friends, make new work friends and don't really do much. Then eventually you get to a point where it takes too much energy and you stop giving a fuck about anything that happens there. I'm way past that point and don't really care. Almost done and the reprieve from the water park will be welcomed.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Monday, August 10, 2009

I sat along the rocks and watch the cold Maine water rush away.The sun and my guitar and I knew what you were doing yesterday.You broke those promises but I’ll get over it.‘Cause as long as I’m breathing fresh air I don’t really give a shitSo I’ll complain for the next ten years, but remember that sometimes things are great.

I didn’t have directions and I hadn’t eaten anything all day.We sucked a fat one and wasted a hundred dollars just to play.I ate a bag of peanuts right before the windy road.And I couldn’t drink a thing all night ‘cause of the vomit in the back my throat.Then you gave me your number and your sweatshirt so I didn’t give a shit.So I’ll complain for the next eleven years, but remember that sometimes things are great.

You don’t own me! You don't own me!

I worked my ass of my entire life to accomplish one dream.It started happening and everything was bastardized my greed.I said “pull this shit over and let me outI swear to fucking God I’m fucking giving up right now”And now I’ve got a brand new start, I remember that something are great.

Scream it in apartment halls -Scream it loud in shopping malls -Take a ball point pen and paint the inside’s of your eyelids with the constant reminder:You don’t own me. You don’t own me.

Then I was underground without food or sunlight or encouragement.Depression set in ‘cause I was a product of my environment.Then the other day, I got in my car.Pick Glenn Tillbrook up from the hotel, drive him to the bar.He wore a t-shirt just like me and wasn’t on his phoneand for fifteen minutes I had a conversation with a hero.So I’ll complain for the next ten years...And after that we’ll go drink beers until the bar runs out of beersprepare for the next twenty-three years.

‘Cause if I wasn’t a fat kid in high school, I would have never listened to punk rock.And if I knew how to throw a football, I would have never played any music.And if never got my heart broken, I would sing “blah blah fucking nothing.”And if you didn’t fuck my ex-girlfriend, I would still owe you three-thousand dollars.And if I never lived in that van I wouldn’t have met Chris or Steve or James, Alex or Middagh.And if I never worked in a basement I would have never moved out of my house.And if I had a big emo band or dropped out of college, I would have never met you, man.

"It was all written in Long Island and it is very expressive of my hope to go around the country playing stupid songs for people who will forget me again."

You fucking changed my life Jeff, I won't forget who you are for the rest of my life.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Any doubts I had about the blink-182 reunion are gone. While they aren't my absolute favourite band, they're definitely up there as a top 10. Plus there's no way I can deny the influence that they had on me while I was younger.

"Like the special time you have in the shower. With your dad."

"Goddamn you're a weird guy Tom"

"This song is for all the Canadian males. Who have to deal with the cold and your wiener gets small. And ladies don't like it. Anyways this is All The Small Things."

"Come on let me hold you, touch you, FUCK you"

"The U.S. pentagon says that Toronto is it's favourite place. That was the worst joke I've ever made, so we're starting the next song."

Thursday, August 6, 2009

So I finally got around to reading "Wolverine: Origin" despite all the bad things I had heard about how it was received. X-Men is the main comic title that I read. I enjoy the story-lines thoroughly and I find that each of the characters have been developed extremely well. Usually each has a contradiction in their life that seems impossible to overcome, but drives the story line. Cyclops doing everything he can to be a great leader/Xavier's protege but failing, Nightcrawler being a monk but looking like a demon, Wolverine's introverted personality ruining his relationships.

Wolverine also happens to be one of my favourite characters (come on, beer swilling, cigar smoking, canadian badass who beats villains to a pulp with no weapons?) so this line intrigued me. However, Wolverine's true past has also been shrouded, adding to the appeal of the character. We know he was working for the Canadian government, and Alpha force before that, and Canadian special forces before that. A life in Japan was in there somewhere, but other than that it was anyone's guess. Many argued that revealing/creating his past would destroy his character and for arguably Marvel's most popular personage this seemed like an awful idea. It's one thing to ruin a character like Boom-Boom, but Wolverine? Come on!

After reading the six issues of the title, I found myself extremely disappointed. The story certainly had potential but was nowhere near developed enough. There is a huge jump in time around issues 3 and 4 and he just sort of transforms from a sickly Canadian rich kid to the Wolverine we know now out of left field. The entire story takes place in 19th century Alberta and the effort made to recreate the type of dialogue used at that time was just subpar. The artwork also leaves much to be desired. I would think that for a project that bears as much influence as this one, Marvel would have gotten the biggest names in the business to work on it.

It hasn't affected the line of X-Men that much, other than Wolverine reverting to his 8-year-old self for a while in astonishing X-Men, but seriously it does fall very short of what it could be. Even if they had saved it for a few years until the comic market picked up again, I'm sure it would have been much better.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The first time I stepped on a skateboard was in grade 2. Now I don’t want to say I’ve been skateboarding since then, but that was the first time I tried it. My friend Chris and I would see older kids skating near us all the time and we wanted to be like them. He had two really shitty boards and I had the time of my life kicking around on it. Of course when I was 8 years old I had the attention span of a goldfish and moved on. But the important part is that I distinctly remember loving the feeling of riding around on a skateboard.

Sidebar: I also remember that both of these shitty skateboards had wicked graphics on the bottom. One was a big mutant bat thing screaming. The other was a skeleton playing poker and was called “The Higher Roller”. I didn’t appreciate them at the time, but I would do terrible things to come into possession of these boards now.

The next time it came back was when the video game “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” came out. The game was everywhere because it was so fun to play and really thrust skateboarding into the mainstream. This game changed my life. My brother and I would play it non-stop. It looked amazing to me. The idea of doing all these manoeuvres on a skateboard was just mind blowing and made me want to do the same. The soundtrack was full of punk that, to me, sounded like the only possible sound that you could skateboard to. I bought the album “Hang Ups” by Goldfinger, only because the first track on it was “Superman”. Other bands on it like The Suicide Machines and The Dead Kennedys are ones that I still enjoy today.

Sidebar again: I would get heavy into ska later in my life. “Hang Ups” and “Destruction by Definition”, which were both featured in this game, became some of my favourites. In fact, I would say that next to only “Three Cheers for Disappointment” “DxD” as it’s known, is my favourite album ever.

So I guess I had the “attitude”, more just a constant willingness to skate, and the soundtrack, all I needed was a board. So with my 11th birthday money I went and bought a skateboard from Wal-Mart. I spent that entire summer skateboarding with my best friend. I didn’t get much better. All my friends got better boards while I just stuck with my piece of crap. This would be important, because seriously this board was god-awful and very hard to get around on. So I stopped skating because my board was such a pain. But my undying interest in the sport never died.

During my teenaged year my high school’s art department had a project where students would paint skateboard decks. They would also sell blank decks for $20. This seemed ideal for me to replace my boat from Wal-Mart. So I bought a blank, painted it black and white checkerboard, reflecting my undying love for ska in high school, and put on my friend’s old trucks. It was far from a great set-up, but I loved it. It also didn’t suck that bad. It also had neon green grip tape. Once I had a deck that I could actually get around on, I was once again freed up to spend countless hours skating in the parking lots of the convenience stores near my house.

I would skate on and off for the remainder of high school, but it was a moment after first year university that really got me going again. I was home from university and had nothing to do, so I went through a bunch of skate videos I had on my computer. Almost’s video “Round 3” immediately inspired me to go and skate and try and become the next Rodney Mullen. Once I had enough money I went out and finally got a pro deck. I also discovered The Bones Brigade around this time, which changed the type of skating I liked forever. “The Search for Animal Chin” is hands down the best skate movie ever.

Now skateboarding is an essential part of who I am. The only time I leave my house without my skateboard is when I know for a fact that I will not be able to bring it into somewhere, or having it will become a huge hassle. The stuff that Koston and Reynolds can do with their skateboards still impresses me more than what any other athlete can do.

One of the things I like most about the sport is the sense of camaraderie between skaters. You immediately have something in common that is a large part of your life. You also immediately have something to do with this person when you hang out. No one cares how good you are, because they were at that point in their skating sometime in their life as well.

The simplicity of the sport is also what keeps me coming back. I’m definitely one of the least technical skaters I know. But that doesn’t matter, because to me, going incredibly fast down a hill on your deck is one of the greatest things that life has to offer.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Also I don't give a fuck what you say, this is one of the best love songs I've heard in my life. Maybe because I think that I'm a pretty similar person to Mark Hoppus? Or maybe because it's back when bands could just write honest songs and try to make overly poetic lyrics.

"she laughs at my dumb jokes when no one does, she brings me Mexican food from sombrero just because"

Sunday, June 28, 2009

For too long this year I was apathetic about life and too depressed. It really sucks when you feel like you just can't break out of that vicious cycle. But really all you have to do is take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Honestly, I've found that if you just relax and don't overreact to situations that don't merit it, things play out in your favour.

Because some days you get to hang out with your girlfriend, skateboard, wear your descendents t-shirt, watch beasties and Mike V videos and play guitar.

And when that stops sounding like the ideal day to me, then you can shoot me.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

When asked about Op Ivy's influence (they did basically create a genre and every "ska" band around today rips them off whether they're aware of it or not), he says that they didn't really do anything, that bands were doing it before them. He says they were just a link in the chain. This just straight up isn't true every ska band rips them off.

When asked about his new band, he says that his "backing band" are a band also, deferring attention off himself.

When asked about Barack Obama, he says that he doesn't care if he's black or white, but likes the things he's doing.

"I try not to think of myself as higher than anyone in the audience"

Seriously the guy has written some of the best lyrics punk has ever seen. He completely changed how a genre of music was played. Put out two incredible albums with Common Rider. Still he acts like he formed some small time band two weeks ago.

More people should be like Jesse Michaels.

"This time I got it all figured out, all I know is that I don't know, all I know is that I don't know nothing, and that's fine"

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

I was watching the show "Disband" on muchmusic today. The band on was Stereos. They were generic auto-tuned pop-rock crap, but with more emphasis on mainstream pop a la Avril Lavigne. Whatever, make the music you want, even though these guys seemed to have pretty empty songs and dumb lyrics. What pissed me off more was the way they dressed and their image. Pretty much everyone had full sleeves of tats, black shirts, skinny jeans, etc. At the end the bass player was wearing a 7 Seconds shirt. I would love to be able ask him to name even one 7 Seconds album. If you are a fan of 7 Seconds, or other bands of that genre, there is no way you would be creating the music you are. I don't see what you're trying to prove. Your 14 year old teenaged fans won't have a clue who they are and people who know the band will instantly recognize you as a poser. Also two members were wearing straight-edge shirts throughout the show and then drink champagne at the end.

I don't come and hang around and ruin your scene, so please stay the fuck out of mine.

It’s actually pretty scary how much I relate and depend on the music of Jeff Rosenstock. Whether it be the music of The Arrogant Sons of Bitches (ASOB for convenience) or Bomb The Music Industry! (BTMI! for the same reason), his words and chords have been a cornerstone of my existence since I heard each band.

I first heard ASOB through word of mouth on the internet. It was right before the put out “Three Cheers For Disappointment”. I thought “So Let’s Go! Nowhere” was pretty awesome, mainly because it is. I loved the way that their new songs sounded on their MySpace, mostly because they were super fast. I wanted the CD super bad, but my lack of credit card, as I was 16 at the time, and my not living in the North-Eastern United States prevented me from having it. So I just listened to the three songs that I got for free on their purevolume, “So Let’s Go! Nowhere”, “Pornocracy” and “RSTLNE” on repeat. Randomly on a message-board a guy linked to a site where someone had put up a whole bunch of ska albums for download. Low and behold “Three Cheers...” was up there and I didn’t hesitate to get that masterpiece.

When I got it the soundcard on my computer was broken, so I plugged my Discman into my computer speakers (ghetto!) and proceeded to listen to album 8 times in a row with no breaks in between from 8 pm to about 1:30 am (funny how you remember that kind of stuff). Then I listened to it another 5 times in a row the next day on the bus. This album was exactly was I was looking for at the time, but this isn’t even when it had its largest impact.

So that summer I liked a girl a lot, yadda, yadda, yadda, no one wants to hear all the details. I was head over heels and she broke my heart for the first time, it happens to everyone. I had leant her the CD telling her it was the greatest thing ever (she ended up not liking it). Anyways, she came over to give the CD back, some stuff happened that lead to aforementioned heartbreak. Needless to say, the next morning I was pretty bummed. At this point I didn’t look extremely heavily into lyrics (at least nowhere near as much as I do now, which is probably more than anyone I know), so I liked ASOB a whole lot, but didn’t really get them. To make matters worse that morning I had a full day of work ahead of me. I still had a Discman then, so I would only listen to one CD all day. Naturally I grabbed “Three Cheers...” as it was one of my favourites and I had just gotten it back.

I must have been about twenty steps out of my house when I realized that I had made the exact right choice in CDs for that day. I was flabbergasted at how I hadn’t noticed the lyrics in “The Last Bell I Will Ever Hear” before. Three Cheers grabbed me and I couldn’t listen to anything else. I was really bummed for a while, between that situation and the ever shitty scene at my high school and the main thing helping me through it was “Three Cheers For Disappointment”.

It’s still my favourite album to this day.

So, before I even got their last album, ASOB broke up. So I never got to see them. I bought a ticket to the reunion show, but didn’t end up going because I couldn’t afford going to New York. But after they broke up the singer/songwriter Jeff made a new “band”. Basically he didn’t like the idea of being in a band anymore so he just wrote songs, recorded them in his bedroom, played all the instruments and put it all out for free. I’m going to emphasize this. He put out the music completely free. Way before Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails. He spray paints shirts for free at shows. When he started he only asked for enough money to cover the cost of gas to get to the show. If you do not think he is doing it for the music by now, I have no idea how to convince you. These aren’t shitty bedroom recordings either. To date BTMI! has put out 5 albums, 1 rarities compilation and a split ep. Each of these albums is incredible and I would say there isn’t a piece of filler on any of them. Each is also an interesting progression from the last, changing and adding new elements to the sound of the band without being too alienating.

Oh yea and all of that is since 2005.

So yea I first got into the band when their third album “Goodbye Cool World” came out. I had never thought that playing too fast+ska+synth+singing too fast so you can’t understand all of the lyrics+fake drums+corny keyboard effects would=great album, but hey all of us make mistakes. After seeing how great that album was I went back and got all the other ones. They kept being the most interesting and innovating in punk and I kept loving them. “Get Warmer” came out and more people began to take notice, that album was the first big departure in their sound; it’s a really good collection of songs. They came to Toronto twice I missed them both time for being too poor and not being 19 at the time. But anyways they came again and I most certainly did not miss them that time. They put on an awesome set (with an iPod as their drummer!) and as soon as they broke into “Congratulations John! On joining Every Time I Die” I was climbing over 15 year-olds to scream the lyrics as loud as I could. The show was an extreme catharsis of energy and emotion. It ruled. More importantly, I was hoping that I would be able to meet Jeff at the show, figuring he would be walking around the show, since that’s the type of guy he is. I was right.

First though, third verse of “Syke! Life is Awesome!”:

“Then one day, he said “Jeff get in your car and pick Glenn Tillbrook up at the hotel and drive him to the bar”. He wore a t-shirt just like me and wasn’t on his phone. For fifteen fucking minutes I had a conversation with my hero”

I saw him walking by and said “Hey Jeff, I just wanted to say Three Cheers For Disappointment has gotten me through a lot of shit. Thanks for writing it man.” Most musicians would say “Hey, thanks. That means a lot” and run off to whatever they had to do. Jeff stopped said “Wow, man that’s cool. I’m glad that you like it so much. That means a lot” and then gave me a giant bear hug. Him being so cool and humble while being an extremely talented songwriter and pretty much a musical genius the way he’s put together such individual and interesting music the way he does is pretty cool. Oh yea, he also had on the same hoodie and vans as I did. It’s pretty funny how similar my experience was to his.

Both his bands have been extremely large parts of my life since the first second I heard them. I have no clue what type of person or what I would be doing if it wasn’t for The Arrogant Sons of Bitches and Bomb The Music Industry! Jeff is hands down my favourite songwriter. He avoids trying to come up with clever wordplay and favours spilling as much emotion as he possibly can into each song. When I think girls suck, I listen to “Three Cheers For Disappointment”, when I thought my high school sucked I listened to “To Leave or Die In Long Island”, when I think that moving on in life sucks I listen to “Get Warmer”, when I worry about growing up I listen to “Scrambles” and when I start to feel better about all of that I listen to “Goodbye Cool World”.

All of Bomb The Music Industry!’s music and The Arrogant Sons of Bitches last album are available free of charge at www.quoteunquoterecords.com.

Also, when listening to this music, please read the lyrics on the website while listening. They are the high-point and most important part of all the albums.

I was going to put a quote from a song at the end, but I would just end up putting all of either "Syke! Life is awesome" or "King of Minneapolis Parts III & IV" or "So Let's Go! Nowhere!" or "Kill The President" or "1800-ALARM-ME" down, so I refrained.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Well, I stayed up to watch blink-182 on The Tonight Show the past two nights. Yes stayed up all the way 'till 11:30, give me a break I'm on my work sleeping schedule. Anyways, I've grown kind of skeptical about how good the reunion will be after seeing the set-list they've prepared so far and after Mark said "We used to walk onstage and forget out parts. We wanted to play fast and look cool. This time we want to be more artistic."

To me, that seems like it's going against most of the things I loved about the band; guitars straps so low they could barely play, speeding up every song live, simple songs you could learn in 5 minutes.

The first night on Leno they played the rock show. The good thing about this performance was that seeing the three of them perform together made me realize "wow, blink is back together." The performance was pretty solid, the sounded good and Travis had the brim of his hat flipped up. They seemed kind of uninspired, but it was a TV performance. At least Tom wasn't wearing a track jacket.

Seeing as they played a Mark song on the first night, I figured they'd play a Tom song on the next night. All The Small Things was what I figured they'd choose and was right. Tom is what is worrying me most about this reunion. While Mark and Travis have been very gung-ho about it, often mentioning how happy they are that the band is back together, Tom has been pretty quiet about it. Angels and Airwaves was very different from blink, and also very shitty. Tom was also allegedly the main force behind the train-wreck of an album that self-titled was. Long story short, Tom worries me.

Performing "All The Small Things" Tom sounded ridiculous. Someone mentioned that he was trying to sound like Robert Smith and I couldn't agree more. He was really trying way to hard to sing and it came off terribly. Tom has always been a shitty singer, but before he just didn't give a fuck and since he didn't no-one else did either. But he seriously butchered that song.

Here's to hoping for a little less "I Miss You" and little more "Lemmings" for the upcoming tour.

Also, Static Radio Nj, No Harm Done, Strike Anywhere, No Use For A Name, Only Crime, Strung Out, The Swellers, Four Year Strong, Set Your Goals, NoFX, Less Than Jake, Bayside, Weezer and blink-182 all in the next 3 months.